The secret to recovering from a concussion

Plus: a historic low for poverty in U.S. children  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | September 20, 2026     Recovering from a concussion can be tedious—and exacting. It can involve getting enough rest and easing your cognitive load (without letting screens fill your newfound free time) in order to let your brain heal. That's a lot to expect from patients, especially when they’re kids. But Dr. Teena Shetty noticed that in her concussion clinic, a particular parenting style seemed linked to better outcomes for her young patients. In her new essay for TIME, Dr. Shetty reveals what approach seems to work best. TODAY’S TOPICS The secret weapon to concussion recovery Got a question for us? A historic low for childhood poverty         SUNDAY READ The parenting style linked to better concussion recovery By Dr. Teena Shetty Malte Mueller—Getty Images Concussions in children are alarmingly frequent, affecting over a million children in the U.S. each year. An estimated 50% of all concussions are undetected, unreported, and untreated.  As the founder and director of a concussion clinic in New York, I see my fair share of concerned parents who want to do everything they can to help their kids heal from concussion. It’s a good instinct: Early and active intervention with targeted therapies is critical. From years of caring for children and adolescents with concussion, my team and I wondered if the parents most involved in their children’s recovery—some might call them “helicopter parents”—could be a key part of navigating a serious medical problem which, left untreated, may have devastating consequences.  Our society has turned against helicopter parents, viewing them as unnecessarily controlling. But they are uniquely valuable as a temporary framework for healing. The treatment regimen for concussion involves drastic lifestyle changes surrounding their daily screen-time exposure, shifting circadian rhythms, intellectual stimulation, and the cognitive demands of school or work. Everything has to be turned down or dialed back, sometimes for weeks at a time. The brain heals gradually, and each lifestyle change removes a source of strain it would otherwise have to contend with while heeding a vigilant dietary and sleep schedule. Read the full essay here.         SPONSORED Your K-Cups Sat in a Warehouse for Months Grocery store pods spend months going factory → warehouse → truck → shelf, losing the flavor oils that make coffee taste like coffee. Angelino's roasts, packs, and ships within days — 50+ flavors, compatible with Keurig®, from 39¢ a cup. New customers save 15%, no code needed. Try Fresh-Roasted Pods         PLEASE ADVISE Ask the health team Have a burning health or wellness question? Wondering how to handle a tricky social situation? Please write to healthmatters@time.com, and we’ll weigh in weekly in the newsletter.         SPONSORED Daily news for curious minds. Be the smartest person in the room. 1440 navigates 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive, unbiased news roundup — politics, business, culture, and more — in a quick, 5-minute read. Completely free, completely factual. Sign up now!         WHAT WE’RE READING More than one third of adults with at least three health conditions said they have had trouble paying the bills in the past year, according to a new poll conducted by KFF Health News. On Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told an audience at a conference of the Children’s Health Defense—the anti-vaccine group he once led—that they have a “strong and steadfast friend in the White House,” Fatima Hussein and Mike Stobbe report for the Associated Press. The official childhood poverty rate in the U.S. fell to a historic low, according to new Census data.         SPONSORED 2 minutes. Your URL. A customer profile worth using. Most founders can describe their product. They can't describe their customer. Not in a way that actually changes how they sell. HubSpot for Startups built a free tool to fix that. Paste in your URL, answer a few quick questions, and it generates a structured profile of your best-fit customer. Firmographics, buying triggers, the works. Takes 2 minutes. No spreadsheet required. Build Your Free ICP.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: healthmatters@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe